RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Sierra County >> Howland Flat >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Howland Flat. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Howland Flat to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Howland Flat, please Contact Us.

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Howland Flat (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Howland Flat. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Howland Flat ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Howland Flat: Howland Flt.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Although our information shows that the community of Howland Flat is historic, it would have been located within present day Sierra County.

To see how the shape of California's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sierra County: Lassen, Nevada, Plumas, Yuba & Washoe (NV).

Below are the counties that are near Howland Flat. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Howland Flat:

  • Sierra County     (The home county of Howland Flat)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.
    • Gibsonville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Gibsonville is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonville
    • Poker Flat
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Poker Flat is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poker Flat
    • Queen City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Queen City is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
    • Downieville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Goodyears Bar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
    • Forest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
    • Loganville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Loganville is located in Sierra County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
    • Sierra City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alleghany
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Calpine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Sattley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Sierraville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
    • Clipper Mills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Oroleve
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
    • Feather Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Merrimac
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Merrimac is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
    • Forbestown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brush Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Brush Creek is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
    • Robinson Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
    • Berry Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Big Bar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Big Bar is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
    • Big Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Big Bend is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
    • Pulga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Nevada County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.
    • Graniteville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Graniteville is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graniteville
    • Marsh Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Marsh Mill is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Mill
    • North Bloomfield ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • North Bloomfield is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bloomfield
    • Lake City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Lake City is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • North Columbia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • North Columbia is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Columbia
    • Washington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • North San Juan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Blue Tent
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Blue Tent is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Tent
    • Scotts Flat
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Scotts Flat is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Flat
    • Baltimore Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Baltimore Town is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore Town
    • Meadow Lake ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Meadow Lake is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Lake
    • Summit City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Summit City is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit City
    • Birchville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Birchville is located in Nevada County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchville
  • Placer County
  • Plumas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.
    • Little Grass Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Little Grass Valley is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Grass Valley
    • La Porte
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Plumas Eureka
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Plumas Eureka is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumas Eureka
    • Johnsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Spring Garden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Spring Garden is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
    • Graeagle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Mohawk
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Mohawk is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
    • Massack
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Massack is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massack
    • Cromberg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenhorn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Greenhorn is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenhorn
    • Blairsden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • East Quincy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • East Quincy is located in Plumas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Quincy
    • Quincy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.
    • Strawberry Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
    • Camptonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
    • Challenge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dobbins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rackerby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Howland Flat, see our County-by-County Page for Howland Flat.

Cemeteries Near Howland Flat ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howland Flat.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Howland Flat - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Howland Flat covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.

While we didn't find Howland Flat in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Howland Flat.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Howland Flat, with the one closest to Howland Flat listed first.

  • Saint Louis
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Louis is located in Sierra County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Louis
  • Gibsonville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gibsonville is located in Sierra County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonville
  • La Porte
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Scales ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Scales is located in Sierra County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scales
  • Johnsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Downieville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Goodyears Bar
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Mohawk
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Mohawk is located in Plumas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
  • Cromberg
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Quincy
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Strawberry Valley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Sierra City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Alleghany
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Meadow Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Howland Flat. See our List of 1890's Communities around Howland Flat.

Newspapers Published in Howland Flat ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howland Flat.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Howland Flat, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Howland Flat.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Howland Flat:

Footnotes ...

<1>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Howland Flat, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Howland Flat) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.